Tombstone epitaph., 1887-09-03
settled within ten minutes. We parted to

settled within ten minutes. We parted to meet again within four hours.
 The Englshman and drove back to the hotel and went up to the second corridor, where we discovered the man from Chi cago still smoking and leaning against the railings outside of his room. He looked at us and then said:
 "Wel?'
 "They are to fight at o'clock"
 "Any stalSes?"
 Both of us grinned, but the gambler seemed perfectly serious. Because" he continued, eff there arc any stakes want to back this youngster right here, and I'll show you why"
 He pulled back the fiuttering curtain of his room. We looked in and saw Tomaso stretched out upon the bed sleeping as sweetly as 2-year-old child
 "Thats what 1 call nerve" said the Chicago man, "and that's what like to back"
 think it dawned on all of us at that time that the affair was no longer farce We allowed the boy to sleep until 3 o'clock, by which time we had succeeded in finding fencing master, and then we aroused Tomaso, and all of us went round to the gymnast's apartments in Acquila street. We had discovered that Tomaso had never held a foil in his hand. He was taught two things how to thrust and how to parry. For an hour he eXer- cised there, and then we all drank coffee, took two hacks and drove out on the sea road. l have never seen a more thor oughly self contained and well balanced man in my life than the young Cuban, | who sat by my side smoking cigarettes in that beautiful drive in the early morning. | There was a gentle breeze blowing in from the sea, over which the suns rays were dancing like Q network of diamonds, and the few laborers we passed nodded and smiled with the conventional cour- tesy of the children of the tropics. | We were five minutes late, for the oth- CTS were there when we arrived. The duelist looked more ghastly by daylight than he had the night before, but he bowed pleasantly to us all. l told his seconds that Tomaso had had no eXpe- rience with the sword, but they shrugged their shoulders carelessly, and one of them said something about the fortunes of war. It was quite evident that they knew of the ignorance of the boy, and that their principal was also acquainted with the con dition of affairs. To tell the truth, this | b for I did not believe the duelist would butcher the young Cuban outright, but would probably exercise his skill in giv- ing him some slight wound which would satisfy the demands of honor.
 was wrong. A quicker duel was never fought. The men faced each other and stood for moment with their swords crossed. Then the duelist, who, by the way, was as agile and firm swordsman as l ever saw, made conventional thrust at the boy. Tonaso parried it and sprane forward again precisely as he had done iI the attack after the theatre. His teetE were set and his eyes cleaned. His on slaught was % unexpected and fierce that his anta gonist threw his sword too higf for the parry, and the point of Tolnaso's sword swept under it with Hash like lightning end laid open the cheek of tht duelist straight down to the neck. TheI the boy bounded back and stood with tht blade of his sword clasped in his left han( staring at his astounded foe. It was th' quickest thing I ever saw. The woun( was disfguring one, but by no means dangerous. The presence of blood satis fed the honor that had been so violentl, outraged that night. There was con ventional hand shaking and momen later we were rolling back to town.
 don't think we had leen out of the car riage six minutes. The amazement of th duelist was so complete that I doubt i he realizes to this day what had occurred and the hilarity of the three Anglo-Saxon who had made up the party of tho youn! Cul an extended far into the followin! night The ignorance of Tomaso hat saved him, for no man with q knowledg of fencing would have exposed himself al he did in that furious onslaught -Blakel, Hall in New York World.